Israel has ordered all residents of Gaza City to leave to make way for an expanded ground operation. Anyone who does not leave will be treated as a Hamas member or sympathizer.
And there is nowhere to go, no means of taking infirm people and those remaining have not been proven to be Hamas sympathisers – they are terrified and cannot escape.
Israel blocks main road to Gaza City, gives residents last chance to leave
Met Police calls for protest against Palestine Action ban to be cancelled after synagogue attack
5h
The Metropolitan Police has called for a planned protest in support of the banned Palestine Action group to be delayed or cancelled after Thursday’s synagogue attack in Manchester.
Police spent several hours trying to arrest all the peaceful protestors under the Terrorism Act. 5Pillars witnessed large groups of onlookers heckling police and chanting pro-Palestine chants.
Palestine Action protesters at Trafalgar Square, London, 04 October 2025. Credit: @bob_cart124 | 5Pillars
Many of the protesters were retirees but the protesters flouting the law also included Jews, Muslims, students, medics, disabled people and anti-war activists.
At the time of publishing this article, the Metropolitan Police claimed that 355 people have been arrested which included six people who were cuffed after a banner was unfurled on Westminster Bridge prior to the main demonstration at Trafalgar Square.
And
How the Manchester synagogue security response played out
Government emergency handbook sets out advice to keep civilian casualties at a minimum
A fast-moving anti-terror response played out for more than six minutes in Manchester on Thursday after a witness called in the car-ramming and stabbings at the Heaton Park mosque.
On Yom Kippur, when the Jewish community was gathered to observe together, the attacker appeared determined to break into the synagogue to cause mass casualties.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) will take “full control” of Gaza City “while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones”.
The plan marks a new escalation in the nearly two-year offensive that has seen tens of thousands of Palestinians killed or displaced, as those who remain are pushed further into a worsening famine.
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has criticised Israel’s decision to “further escalate its offensive, adding: “This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.”
Gaza latest: Trump tells Israel ‘stop bombing Gaza’ as Hamas agrees to release hostages
Donald Trump has told Israel to “stop bombing Gaza” after Hamas appeared to accept some key parts of the US president’s 20-point peace plan. Follow the latest.
……….
Trump tells Israel to stop bombing – but explosions seen on Gaza skyline overnight
Shortly after his address hailing this a “very special day”, Donald Trump took to social media to place demands on Israel.
Trump said he believed Hamas is “ready for lasting peace” and that “Israel must immediately stop the bombing” so the hostages can be released safely.
“Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought peace in the Middle East.”
Despite these calls, several explosions were seen in Gaza in the early hours of this morning.
Sky News
And the ‘day after’ Israeli plan?
A Sky News investigation has uncovered new details about Israel’s support for a Palestinian rebel group with extremist ties and a history of looting aid trucks.
As negotiators debate who will run Gaza after the war is over, Israel is already shaping a new reality on the ground.
In recent weeks, several tribal militias have declared allegiance to Yasser Abu Shabab, the head of a former looting gang which is positioning itself as Gaza’s future government.
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“Greetings to Abu Shabab from 585,” read one comment left by a soldier, alongside a hearts emoji.
Like the majority of soldiers in Unit 585, Sami is a Muslim bedouin. His family have served in the IDF for generations, and he says he is proud to serve Israel.
He is equally proud of the support that Israel is providing to Yasser Abu Shabab and his followers, who are also largely bedouins.
“Israel helps him, it gives him grenades, it gives him money, it gives him vehicles, it gives him food, it gives him all types of things,” he says.
,………..
Amjad Iraqi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, says that Israel’s use of the Popular Forces against Hamas mirrors the way in which it previously supported Hamas against its secular rival Fatah.
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Neve Gordon, Professor of International Law at Queen Mary’s, describes it as a strategy to “divide and conquer”.
“The idea […] is to try and turn Gaza into a land controlled by warlords in different parts, so there is no unity among the Palestinians,” he says.
“We can see what happens to countries that are divided by warlords, and the kind of internal struggles that emerge and often last years or decades,” Prof Gordon says
………..
It’s not exactly clear when Yasser Abu Shabab turned against Hamas. Sky News obtained evidence that he had attempted to join the organisation’s feared security services in 2010.
One of his senior commanders, Issam Nabahin, has a longer history of militancy.
In 2015, Hamas identified him as an Islamic State militant and a suspect in the bombing of their vehicles. The following year, Egyptian intelligence also identified him as an Islamic State fighter.
Image:Issam Nabahin was named by Hamas’s armed wing as a suspect in a series of bombings in Gaza City in 2015.
“After he broke from terrorism, he joined the Popular Forces,” says Hassan. “We only came to know him when the Popular Forces were formed.”
Image:Issam Nabahin (R) with Ghassan Al Duhine, commander of the Popular Forces’ military wing. Pic: Facebook
When Biden warned Netanyahu on his visit after the October massacre by Hamas, ‘do not make the mistake we made in Iraq’….let us recap what happened by reading how the coalition destroyed Iraq and the consequences:
But how many Palestinians have died in the numerous battles since 1947? It seems it is an Israel plan to divide and conquer the Palestinians, making them ungovernable, so reducing their chances of ever having their land returned to them.
This can never be a Path to Peace. The pain of it all will always radiate out across the world until respect for each other is ultimately the final stage before acceptance of living peacefully together.
And in the UK, 5th October:
Politics latest: Police forces to be granted new powers in crackdown on repeat protests
The home secretary is to introduce new restrictions on protests and will give police officers more powers to consider the ‘cumulative impact’ of repeated demonstrations.
Sky News
And the UK demands peaceful protests must end, making those who want our government to do more to prevent more death in Gaza feel those with money and influence are guiding UK policy, not serving the demands of the population.
In Sept. 2025:
Military operations: Half (53%) of Britons think Israel’s military actions in Gaza have gone too far. Liberal Democrat (73%) and Labour (65%) 2024 voters are most likely to hold this view, while Reform UK voters (39%) are least likely.
Responsibility for the conflict: 45% of Britons say that the Israeli government has a great deal of responsibility for the current conflict, while a similar proportion (40%) name Hamas. Other actors identified as having a great deal of responsibility include the Palestinian Authority (21%) and the United States (21%), while a quarter (24%) don’t know. When combining those who only chose one option at this question with those who chose two or more and were asked a follow-up, “who do you think is most responsible?”, a third of Britons (32%) say they don’t know if only choosing one actor (23% say the Israeli government, 20% say Hamas).
High level of concern: Seven in ten (69%) Britons express concern about the impact of the conflict in Israel and Gaza on regional stability within the Middle East, while two in three (66%) worry about the plight of Palestinian civilians. 63% are concerned about UK national safety and security, while 62% are concerned about community relations in the UK. Half (50%) say they are worried about the impact of the conflict on Israeli civilians, while 37% say they are worried about the impact on themselves.
Government response: 46% say that the UK government has done a bad job responding to the conflict. Reform UK voters are most critical (67% bad job), while Labour voters are split 30% good job vs 35% bad job. Half (49%) say Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done a bad job.
Neutral mediator: A third (33%) of Britons think the UK should act as a neutral mediator in the conflict, 18% believe the UK should not be involved at all. 19% say the UK should support the Palestinians, while 7% say the UK should support Israel.
Recognition of a Palestinian state: 44% of Britons believe that the UK government should recognise Palestine as a country (while only 13% disagree). However, 41% say it would not make any difference to resolving the conflict.
There may be Peace between Palestinians and Israelis, but the Palestinians have been denied the release of Marwan Barghouti. This March 2024 article illustrates why he is so imporyant to the Peace process. The Israeli extreme right are adamant he will never be released.
Palestinians, and some Israelis, see Marwan Barghouti as key to peace. They need him out of prison first
After more than 2 decades in jail, the man Israel brands a terrorist remains most popular Palestinian leader
Margaret Evans · CBC News · Posted: Mar 26, 2024 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 26, 2024
There are those who are concerned that once the hostages are released the attacks on Hamas will encompass more innocent civilians who have had their hopes raised that the killing and suffering will stop.
Gazans are moving north after hearing about the ceasefire.
‘Destruction is everywhere’: Wary Gazans start their journey home as ceasefire begins
Middle East
After two years of brutal war in Gaza, a ceasefire came into effect on Friday. Israel started pulling back its troops as thousands of displaced Palestinians began to trek back to their wrecked homes. While many felt a sense of relief, others erred on the side of caution as the future of the truce pushed by US President Donald Trump remains unclear.
Issued on: 10/10/2025 – 16:00Modified: 10/10/2025 – 17:19
Politics latest: Phillipson announces crackdown on antisemitism at UK universities
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said she will “not allow hatred to deter students from their education” and warned universities that “the buck stops with” them. But the Tories say British Jews are being “badly let down”.
British Jews do not all support Netanyahu’s decision to destroy Gaza as a punishment for the atrocities Hamas committed on October 7th, 2023. But Palestinian supporters would say not all Palestinians are Hamas supporters, who swore to eradicate Israel.
Just as the Nazis killed the occupants of whole villages because they found small numbers of resistance fighters in their midst, so we see the ‘tarring with the same brush’ on both sides of the argument.
Hatred is often mixed with fear and anxiety and these emotions are easily exploited by people who want to seize control and power.
Yet, within all communities love binds people and that gives them strength to rise above the hate and fear and refresh humanity.
UK: Can we protect Israeli football supporters?
Jewish Aston Villa group slams West Midlands Police over Maccabi Tel Aviv ban
Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti suffers rib fractures after assault in Israeli prisons
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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Palestinian artists work by a mural shows jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on April 13, 2023. [Nidal Al-Wahidi/Apaimages]
Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti sustained rib fractures after being beaten in Israeli prisons, the Prisoners’ Media Office said Wednesday, Anadolu reports.
The Hamas-run office said on Telegram that Barghouti was beaten by Israeli prison guards while being transferred from Ramon Prison in southern Israel to Megiddo Prison in the north in mid-September.
The imprisoned leader lost consciousness and suffered a fracture in four ribs, it added.
Barghouti, 66, a senior leader of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group, is one of the most prominent and popular figures in Palestinian politics.
He has been serving five life sentences in Israeli prisons since 2002 on charges related to the Second Intifada, which began in 2000.
And:
Palestinian prisoner Abu Shanab says Israeli authorities abused detainees until final moments before release
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
borderslynn 
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